08-02-2004, 11:36 PM
Hi,
Yes, yes, yes. BUT. Again, you are assuming "players". If you are intelligent enough to realize "What does need to be tested is how well an all-ice mage does in getting to that boss.", then why do you assume everyone else is too stupid to do so too? If that is what needs to be tested, why not assume that people will test just that?
Right now, the way it works is Blizzard gives out a bunch of copies of the beta and says, "Here's a sneak preview, kiddies. Go out and play your little guts out." And in spite of that, many people actually are testing as is obvious from the comments and suggestions on the beta forums. Now, usually I have have a pretty low opinion of my fellow man, but I think that if Blizzard gave us the tools to actually test, and some guidelines on how to usefully test, they'd get a bunch of great input. And my guess is that a lot more people than you might think would actually find testing to be as much fun as playing, if not more.
Because you are thinking like a player, you are thinking of doing the sequence up through the boss one time. And, sure, if you had unlimited ability to swap and were playing the game you would do just as you suggested. But now think of how you'd approach that if you were actually testing: you might set up one way, go through and see how that worked, then waited a minute or two till things spawned and tried it with a different set up. IF you are really testing, having to go back to the city is the waste -- hearthstoning or running or riding is what does not need to be tested.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that if you not only could, but actually *had* to start a new character every time you logged on during the beta, Blizzard would actually get more testing out of the "testers". And that would preserve most of the goodness of the retail game untouched since the building of the character, with its associated feeling of "ownership", would still be the defining novel experience that the beta would not have spoiled for you.
On the other hand, if all Blizzard wants out of us is lab rat server load, then the way it is would probably be much better, given that a lot of "testers" (and people in general) just wouldn't have the patience to really test.
But, ultimately, if someone actually does what you suggest -- change talents for each encounter -- what does that hurt? In my opinion, it just shows a lack of thought, a lack of understanding, of both the mechanics of the game and of testing. So what? If, as you say, they are doing things that don't need to be tested, then they are simply not generating any useful input. That does not make them much different than most of the population, does it?
But it doesn't matter -- your opinion, my opinion, all insignificant. Blizzard will do as Blizzard will do.
--Pete
Yes, yes, yes. BUT. Again, you are assuming "players". If you are intelligent enough to realize "What does need to be tested is how well an all-ice mage does in getting to that boss.", then why do you assume everyone else is too stupid to do so too? If that is what needs to be tested, why not assume that people will test just that?
Right now, the way it works is Blizzard gives out a bunch of copies of the beta and says, "Here's a sneak preview, kiddies. Go out and play your little guts out." And in spite of that, many people actually are testing as is obvious from the comments and suggestions on the beta forums. Now, usually I have have a pretty low opinion of my fellow man, but I think that if Blizzard gave us the tools to actually test, and some guidelines on how to usefully test, they'd get a bunch of great input. And my guess is that a lot more people than you might think would actually find testing to be as much fun as playing, if not more.
Because you are thinking like a player, you are thinking of doing the sequence up through the boss one time. And, sure, if you had unlimited ability to swap and were playing the game you would do just as you suggested. But now think of how you'd approach that if you were actually testing: you might set up one way, go through and see how that worked, then waited a minute or two till things spawned and tried it with a different set up. IF you are really testing, having to go back to the city is the waste -- hearthstoning or running or riding is what does not need to be tested.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that if you not only could, but actually *had* to start a new character every time you logged on during the beta, Blizzard would actually get more testing out of the "testers". And that would preserve most of the goodness of the retail game untouched since the building of the character, with its associated feeling of "ownership", would still be the defining novel experience that the beta would not have spoiled for you.
On the other hand, if all Blizzard wants out of us is lab rat server load, then the way it is would probably be much better, given that a lot of "testers" (and people in general) just wouldn't have the patience to really test.
But, ultimately, if someone actually does what you suggest -- change talents for each encounter -- what does that hurt? In my opinion, it just shows a lack of thought, a lack of understanding, of both the mechanics of the game and of testing. So what? If, as you say, they are doing things that don't need to be tested, then they are simply not generating any useful input. That does not make them much different than most of the population, does it?
But it doesn't matter -- your opinion, my opinion, all insignificant. Blizzard will do as Blizzard will do.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?